Through another's eyes: The World She Lives In
by AnthonysWill
Summary: Follow the Attack on Titan series, with Annie Leonhart as the main character! From the beginning toward the end, Read on why Annie takes certain actions. This FANFIC CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS and I don't recommend you read it until you have read the entire manga up to its latest update, AND watched the entire anime. The main focus will be on Annie. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my first time writing a fanfic.

So several warnings to all: I do not own any of the characters in the "Attack on Titan" series. I do not take credit for them.

Next warning: **This fanfic contains EXTREMES SPOILERS IN EVERY CHAPTER AFTER 1. IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETELY WATCHED THE ANIME AND READ THE MANGA,** I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO NOT READ THIS FANCTION!

Thank you. And I hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated.

* * *

Attack on Shiganshina

_Year 845 - Shiganshina district_

Panic, screams, and cries were heard as hordes of people were running toward the ships to escape the titans. There was no hope for the district, The Colossal titan had created a hole in Wall Maria, and in an instant, swarms of titans overtook the district. The Garrison(Stationary guard) had only moments to retaliate to defend the inner wall where civilians were boarding the ships.

Annie Leonhart, age 11, sat in the corner on one of these ships, deep in her thoughts and not concerned with the cries, the sorrow, and the horror surrounding her. She wore a serious, yet tired look and gazed at the ground.

Out of the corner of her vision, A small blonde-haired boy with blue eyes was observing the mobs of people trying to get on the ship.

An old senior with a straw hat spoke to his grandson, which was the blonde haired boy, "Sit Armin."

"But Eren and Mikasa aren't here." The boy complained.

Armin suddenly noticed two kids walking onboard the ship, it was Eren and Mikasa.

"There they are!" Armin noticed that Eren had a pale look on his face, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Eren?"

Armin's grandfather sighed, "Just let him be for now. The poor thing. How very traumatized he must be..."

Annie had picked up a word from their conversation

"Traumatized...", Annie said in a low voice to herself.

_- Flashback - 1 year ago at her Home._

_Annie dodged her father's punch and elbowed him in the stomach. He flinched a little and threw a kick at her face, but she crouched to avoid the kick, and then quickly performed her signature spinning kick to knock him off balance. Her father fell backwards on the floor with a loud thud. Annie was worried she had hurt him and stopped fighting. _

_Annie: Father! Are you hurt?!_

_With no response to her question, Annie's father stood up, grabbed her, and threw Annie at the wall with brute force. Annie felt her back crash into the wall, the impact immediately spreading pain throughout her body. _

_Annie's father: "You failed Annie...You can't waste a second when fighting for your life. You have to keep fighting until your enemy is dead!"_

_Annie glared at father, "Father why...Why do I have to do this?!"_

_Her dad approached and slapped her. Annie felt tears forming in her eyes. _

_Annie's father: "Humanity is our enemy, you know what they have done Annie, you know the truth behind the titans!"_

_After saying his statement, he kicked Annie on the left side of her body so hard, she was propelled off the ground and sent flying towards the ground._

_Annie's father: Don't let your guard down._

_Annie was furious. That was beyond dirty, she wasn't expecting to him to hit her when he was talking to her. Her father had been training her for 2 years to prepare her for the ultimate mission: the Attack on Humanity. Each week, the training became more brutal and harsh, but today, she was done. She did not want to go against humanity. She did not agree with her father. She will end this insanity._

_As her father was approaching, Annie quickly rolled away and stood back on her feet. Her father made the first move with a right punch. Thanks to her small size and height, she dodged the punch by going under it and then sent a strong uppercut uppercut to her father's neck. Her father gasped as the air was knocked out of him. Annie had no moment to lose, she pushed her father down and jumped up and performed an elbow drop on his face, she swore she heard something crack. Blood gushed out from her father's mouth and nose. _

_Annie's father: Annie?! What are you do-?!_

_She paid no attention to her father's voice and crushed her father's arm joints by stomping on them repeatedly. Her father attempted to get up but she kicked his legs and he was forced back down. She continued to kick the legs until she was sure he couldn't move. She was fighting for her life, like her father had taught her, she couldn't waste a second. She jumped on his legs repeatedly and then kicked him one last time in the stomach with such brute force that he rolled over a couple of times._

_She looked at her father lying still on the floor. She had casted away her father's voice, and the limp body in front of her was the result. Annie was struck with horror, did she really do this?_

_Annie: ...Father?!_

_Her father looked at her and smiled at her with his bloody face. _

_Annie's Father: I'm proud of you Annie, you did it...You fought against humanity, to save yourself...you're almost ready._

_Annie: What...but I…I don't want…._

_- End Flashback -_

Annie stopped thinking about her past when an extremely muscular titan broke through the inner wall. Everyone gasped in horror at the Armored Titan. People gave up hope saying it was the end; humanity was going to be devoured by titans. Annie looked at the Armored Titan and thought differently:

_This is only the beginning...That titan is…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a boy with short black hair. There were tears flowing from his eyes.

He stood up and spoke as he was looked at the Armored Titan, "I'm...going to…"

A girl with long black hair and a red scarf spoke with concern to the boy, "Eren."

The blonde haired boy spoke, "What's gotten into you, Eren?" Armin placed his hand on Eren's shoulder, but he was pushed aside.

Eren shouted, "...drive them out! I'm going to drive out every last one from this world!"

_Does he means the titans? _Annie thought to herself.

_But if he drives out every last titan...then…What would happen to me?_

Annie dismissed the thought and came to a conclusion that the boy was crazy and overcome with powerful emotions or grief. Annie looked at the sky and made a mental note to herself.

_This is the world I live in. Titans, broken people, and my mission. I have to survive, so I don't become a part of this insanity._

End Chapter 1

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What do you all think so far? I actually believe this fanfic will be difficult to write, since Annie rarely talks! But I'm up for a challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 - The aftermath_

* * *

_Year 845_

A loaf of bread was given to her by a soldier. Annie silently accepted her food ration and left to find a place to eat was no longer in Shiganshina district. Since the Armored Titan had breached Wall Maria, all the refugees were forced to retreat inside Wall Rose. There would obviously be a food shortage due to sudden large increase in population, but there was nothing that could be done; Annie even witnessed two grown men fighting over a piece of bread. Annie held on to her piece of bread firmly.

After minutes of walking, Annie found an empty bench to sit on. She sat down and began to eat her bread. She was extremely tired and hungry _since she had to do more than just escape the titans._ She devoured her bread, and while she was eating the last bit of her bread, a tall boy with short dark hair and green eyes approached her.

"Annie?"

Annie looked up and saw who the tall boy was, she knew him from her Home: Bertolt Hoover.

She finished her last chunk of bread and spoke.

Annie spoke, "Don't talk to me."

Bertolt was taken back, "Oh, I'm sorry…"

Annie sighed, "Don't be."

Bertolt spoke again, "I just wanted to see how you were doing since...you know…"

Annie was shocked about what he just asked. _Was he being serious_? She ignored him and glanced at a different direction.

Annie: …

Bertolt felt uncomfortable, "Um, sorry for bothering you, but Reiner and I are here too. You know, if you ever want to talk to us."

Annie responded, "I don't."

Bertolt was defeated, "O-Okay…I'll see you later…"

As Bertolt was walking away, Annie thought to herself, she preferred to be alone to reflect on her past actions...but…

"Bertolt, wait."

Bertolt turned around, "Yeah Annie?"

"I do want to talk to you and Reiner. Do you mind if I walk with you?" Annie asked.

"Not at all." he smiled.

Annie gave him the usual serious expression. _How could he smile after everything we've done._

They both walked together along a path side by side.

Bertolt attempted to converse with Annie.

"So...I think Reiner is getting more bread, we can share with you!"

"Please don't talk." Annie said coldly.

Bertolt frowned, "Annie...why?"

"Our mission requires us to be…..distant. You should know this." Annie answered.

Bertolt argued, "But Annie! we're only kids…I don't think anyone would suspect us..."

Bertolt hated that he, Reiner, and Annie were chosen for this mission. They were only kids. Bertolt and Annie were 11 years old, Reiner was 12. And already, _Their lives were hell. They had done a horrible thing._

Annie spoke, "I saw a kid, who said he would drive out all of the titans. He sounded dead serious. This world is crazy and that kid might be insane enough to kill-"

Bertolt trembled and frowned, "Annie, I don't like thinking about that. Can we forget about it, just for now, please?"

Annie gave Bertolt a look and sighed, "Sure."

Bertolt's frown lessened, "Thanks Annie."

"Hey Bertolt! Check this out!" A blonde haired boy with golden eyes came running towards the both of them with 4 loafs of bread in his arms. He was shorter than Bertolt, but a bit more buff: Reiner Braun.

Reiner spotted Bertolt with Annie, "Whoa, it's Annie! How's it go-"

Suddenly, Reiner tripped over a small crack on the ground and his momentum from running caused him and the 4 loafs of bread to propel forward...toward Annie. In Annie's mind, time froze. _Reiner is going to fall on me and the 4 loafs of bread will fall on the ground_. She looked at Bertolt who was at her side. He was currently in shock and wasn't going to react fast enough to save the bread.

_It seems I have to do everything._

Time resumed.

Annie rushed forward and grabbed two falling breads, one in each hand, and then tossed them up in the air towards Bertolt. She then quickly grabbed the other two loafs of falling bread, one in each hand again, and then kicked Reiner at his side so he wouldn't fall on her. Annie kicked him into a wall. She looked back at Bertolt and saw that he had successfully caught both pieces of bread. Annie brushed her hair with her backhand, content with the results.

"Wow Annie! You're amazing!", Bertolt exclaimed

"It's nothing really", Annie replied with her usual bored tone.

"What the hell..." Reiner recovered from Annie's sudden kick and glared at Annie. "Why did you have to kick me?!"

"I didn't want you to fall on me, and I did it for this." Annie held both of her hands out with a loaf of bread in each hand. She approached Reiner and placed one bread in his hand.

"I'm keeping the other one."

"What?! That was for me and Bertolt!", Reiner objected.

"It's okay Reiner! we can split one. Annie did save our bread too, we should share with her!" Bertolt explained and smiled.

"Hm, fine..." Reiner agreed.

The three young teenagers sat down and ate their bread in silence. Bertolt split the fourth piece of bread into three pieces so everyone received a fair portion. As Annie was eating her chunk of bread, Bertolt tapped on her shoulder. She looked at him and saw he was offering her a pouch of water.

"Thank you." Annie accepted the pouch and drank some of it. She gave the pouch back to Bertolt who then gave it to Reiner, and Reiner completely gulped down the remaining water after swallowing his last bit of bread.

"Reiner, you eat too fast." said a concerned Bertolt.

"I eat what I can get, we're lucky we were able to get this much bread." Reiner spoke.

"Annie, how are you feeling? Are you hurt or injured?"

"I'm fine. I feel the same." Annie answered back to Reiner.

"I see, that's good. Bertolt and I were bruised a bit when we broke the walls." Reiner held out his hands. Annie noticed that Bertolt and Reiner had bandage wraps around their hands.

"Well, we were expecting some contact anyways, from both the titans and the Garrison. But, I'm glad you're okay Annie." Reiner commented.

"You don't have to worry about me. I had an easier task compared to both of you." Annie looked away. "I'm going to see if I can get more food. See you guys later."

"Wait. You're leaving already Annie?! We didn't get to talk much." Bertolt complained.

"We'll talk later, both of you know I'm not the best with words." Annie stated.

"But you'll come back and find us right?" Bertolt questioned Annie.

"Maybe, maybe not. I want to keep some distance between us, because every time I see both of you, I'm reminded that I'm a warrior, and I have a mission to go against humanity. I don't like it." Annie replied.

Reiner directly questioned Annie.

"So if you don't like it, are you going to abandon your mission and run away Annie? Really Annie?! After all the training we've been put through? And even after what happened to Marcel?!"

Annie took a moment to think, before responding. "No I won't abandon my mission. Someone inside this Wall has to be punished. Someone is experimenting on humans and forcing them to mutate into titans. It's creating suffering and turning our world into an insane bloodhouse. I want to put an end to those experiments...but I want to avoid killing innocent humans."

Annie continued. "I want to find the culprit, but I will also help both of you find The Coordinate. Then maybe, we won't have to go against humanity, and both of you won't have to kill any more..."

Bertolt gasped, remembering all the frightening looks he had received from all of the people in the district when he transformed and broke the wall. He remembered chunks of debris were sent flying toward the innocent civilians, and some were instantly killed on the spot by what he had done. He had killed people just like him.

Bertolt trembled, "I..we're..warriors and we have to-"

Reiner sighed and placed his hand on Bertolt's shoulder, reassuring him. Reiner then looked at Annie,

"I'm just glad you're on our side Annie...and that's the most I've seen you talk all my life."

Bertolt stopped trembling and laughed. 'I agree hahaha."

"I've said enough. I'm leaving." Annie left the two boys.

"Oh...Bye Annie!" Bertolt waved his hand.

Reiner stared at Annie until she was out of earshot, then he spoke. "Bertolt, whatever happens, don't become crazy on our mission. I need you sane, because if I become insane, then you're the only who can help me."

Bertolt remembered Reiner had also killed innocent humans. It was a guilt both of them would never be able to escape.

Bertolt frowned at the thought, "I know...but what about Annie? What if she breaks down? How are we going to help her?"

Reiner smirked, "Nah, She's tough. Although we don't think the same way as her, she's not the type to break down in front of others. She does not let people see her true nature. Kind of sad really. A lone wolf."

Bertolt's frown deepened. "I wish she would at least open up to us…"

Reiner looked at Bertolt, "You like her huh?"

Bertolt immediately blushed, "N-No! Of course not!"

"Yeah right! I see the way you look like at her. It's fine Bertolt! Hahahaha!" Reiner punched Bertolt on his shoulder playfully. Bertolt's face became even more red when Reiner commented on how he looked at Annie. Bertolt punched Reiner on the face, and of course Reiner was pissed. They both proceeded to punch, kick, and tackle each other until they were worn out.

Days flew by, and Annie and the other civilians were forced to cultivate food due to the food shortage. Even that wasn't enough to feed everyone, so all the adults and senior refugees were sent on a mission to re-take Wall Maria, which failed resulting in many deaths, but solved the food shortage problem. On that night, Annie cursed, she knew the real enemy was hiding safely behind these walls, and that they were only sending out civilians so that their food supply wouldn't diminish. It was inhuman. She was walking through an alleyway until she heard voices and crying. She paused and listened.

"The titans are to blame."

Annie walked a bit closer and poked her head slightly outwards to see who was speaking. There was short blond-mushroom haired boy sitting on the floor and crying with a straw hat in his hand, A girl with long black hair and a red scarf, and another boy with dark hair and teal-green eyes with an intense look on his face. Annie remembered she had seen these three on the ship.

"If only we could defeat them, we would regain our place in this world", the dark-haired boy stated.

The dark-haired boy sat next to the blond haired boy and spoke, "Armin, I'm applying for military training next year. I'll become strong enough to fight them.

Armin gradually stopped his crying, "Me too."

"Armin?!", the dark-haired boy gasped.

"Me too!", Armin shouted. His grandfather was enlisted on the mission to retake Wall Maria, which ultimately failed, resulting in his grandfather's death. He had to do something, anything.

"I'll join you too." The dark haired girl commented.

"Mikasa? you don't have to! You said survival is the most important thing!" The dark-haired boy exclaimed.

"Yes, and I will be there ensuring your safety." Mikasa replied.

The dark-haired boy stood up, "All right, we'll all join." Together, they all vowed.

Annie retreated several steps and thought to herself. _I should join too, I might be able to find more information._

-Annie, Age: 13, 104th Trainees Squad-

Annie was now wearing the official trainee uniform compared to her pile of garb after the Colossal titan had invaded Wall Maria. Annie stood straight and listened to the training instructor, Keith Shardis. He was blabbering about how they were just mere titan fodder, but may have a chance at becoming strong soldiers in the next 3 years of training. Annie observed her surroundings and noticed Bertolt and Reiner were also here. Bertolt had become even taller, and Reiner also grew a bit in height and size, but he was still shorter than Bertolt. They were together, as usual.

_I wonder if they have thing for each other? I wouldn't be surprised if they did. _

(Of course Annie was dead wrong since Bertolt had feelings for her, but she doesn't know that)

She also noticed, Armin, Mikasa, and the dark-haired boy were here as well. She wasn't surprised since they all vowed to join together. _What was the dark-haired boy's name again_? Annie thought hard and remembered on the ship. _I remember, Armin and Mikasa called him Eren. _

_Eren…_

For some reason, Annie felt as if she would cross paths again with the boy in the future.

As Keith was walking about, giving each cadet their initiation into the 104th Trainee Squad by literally insulting them and calling them out. Annie and Eren had an intense gaze on their face.

Keith purposely skipped the both of them since he knew they didn't need an initiation. They already had their purpose for joining the Trainee Squad planned out.

Eren stood across from Annie with his full posture. They were both so focused on their own mission, they didn't realize they were staring at each other. However, nothing was said since they did not know each other and were too busy thinking about their goal. The question is, who has more determination to complete their mission?

* * *

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - 104th Trainee squad, part 1

* * *

In the 104th Trainee Squad, each cadet had to share a cabin with another person since rooms were limited. Annie was bunked with a girl named Mina Carolina. One thing that stood out from Mina was that she had long black hair that traveled along her shoulder, and she had two pony-tails.

Mina spoke, "Hi Annie! I'm your roommate hehe! Do you prefer to sleep on the top or bottom bunk?"

Annie looked at the bunk bed, "Either one works."

"Hmm okay, I'll take the bottom bunk then! You know, since its easier to get out of bed in the morning!" Mina smiled.

Annie nodded in agreement and placed her bag on the top bunk. She didn't have a lot of stuff, but there was an important object in her bag, a ring with a blade attached to it.

_For emergencies…_ Annie thought to herself.

"Hey Annie! I'm going to see if the potato girl is done running, Do you want to come with me?" Mina asked.

"I'm not interested. Thanks for the offer though." Annie answered.

"Okay~see you later Annie!", Mina left the room and ran into what she thought was a wall, but was actually Reiner Braun. She looked up and saw two tall men. One was muscular and had blonde hair and golden eyes, the other was tall and had dark hair and green eyes. Regardless, they were twice her size and very intimidating.

"(_Yikes!)_ I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!" Mina apologized.

Reiner smiled, "Oh it's fine! Excuse us for being in your way. We were just looking for a friend of ours."

Mina relaxed, "Whew, I'm glad I didn't bother you, I'll be on my way then." Mina left Reiner and Bertolt.

Annie sighed, "Come in. And one more thing, don't visit my room in the future."

Bertolt and Reiner entered Annie's cabin.

"Huh, this is what the girl's dormitory looks like? It's not so different from us guys." Reiner commented.

"What do you expect Reiner, we're only cadets in training, there's no special treatment." Bertolt spoke.

"What business do you guys have with me?" Annie wanted to get straight to the point.

Reiner coughed, "Well, an interesting cadet applied to this Trainee Squad along with us. She's beautiful…"

Annie was annoyed, "Okay. Get out."

"Wait! let us finish Annie!", Bertolt exclaimed.

Reiner continued, "Yeah, back to the main point! aside from her beauty, her name is Krista Lenz."

"And?" Annie wanted Reiner to get to the point.

"She might have some connections to a royal family in the innermost wall." Reiner replied

"Where's your proof?" Annie questioned Reiner.

"Er well...her godlike beauty?" Reiner was cornered.

"Get out now." Annie said coldly.

Bertolt responded, "When Reiner and I enlisted for the Trainee squad. We saw Krista with a lot of Wall Cult members from the inner wall while she applied. She has to have some connection with them. Why would she enlist in this Trainee squad if she could just live inside the inner walls?"

"I don't know and I don't care Bertolt. Unless that girl is involved with the human experiments, she is not a part of the mission." Annie stated.

Bertolt frowned, "I guess, we thought it would be easier to find The Coordinate if we had access to the inner-most wall..."

That's when an idea struck Annie. "We can, by joining the military police."

Reiner commented, "Only the top 10 graduates can apply to the military police, you think we're capable of ranking that high?"

Annie responded, "Yes...remember our training together? back at home?"

Bertolt and Reiner eyes went wide, "Yeah…" They both said in unison.

-_Flashback, somewhere far away from the walls-_

"_ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHH!"_

_A wild cry was heard as Reiner and Bertolt transformed into their respective titans when they bit their thumb. Annie did the same and felt her whole body being engulfed by the titan-flesh. The goals were to be able to control their Titan forms with ease, AND be able to exit their titan form any time, while still having the capability to escape from where their titans once stood. Annie looked at the Colossal titan and Armored titan before her. Obviously Bertolt stood out more due to his 60 meters of height, however, he was immobile. Annie made the first move and sprinted towards Reiner. Reiner saw the Female Titan approaching him and also ran toward her. The Armored Titan threw a quick right punch at the Female Titan, but the Female Titan went under it and crystallized her hand, then she punched the Armored Titan in the rib cage. If it was just a regular punch, nothing would have happened, but since the Female Titan possessed crystallization abilites, The Armored Titan's ribcage was literally smashed open and sent flying away like falling debris. The Female Titan then crystallized her legs and performed a high kick to knock the Armored Titan down on his back. Annie stopped her assault and then just stood there in her Female Titan form. _

_The Armored Titan's body was evaporating, meaning Reiner had left its flesh._

_Seconds later, Reiner was seen using Omni-directional mobility gear to fly towards the Female Titan. _

_Annie took a deep breath and used all of her strength to pull the blades out of her omni-directional gear, and cut the flesh of her titan within the neck, so she could exit._

_She instantly inhaled the fresh air granted to her by the escape from her titan form. _

_Reiner was already there waiting for her._

"_I can't believe I lost to you...Well, I'm not surprised, you did beat your own father." Reiner pouted._

_Annie lashed at Reiner, "Shut up! My father taught me everything! If it weren't for him...Then-!" Annie was interrupted by a roar from the Colossal Titan._

"_Bertolt?!" Reiner screamed._

_Annie and Reiner used their Omni-direction gear to fly towards the shoulders of the Colossal Titan. When they landed, they noticed the Colossal Titan was directly looking at them. _

"_Okay good, he's conscious." Reiner spoke_

"_He's having trouble exiting his titan." Annie sighed._

"_It's different from ours. His form is too huge." Reiner commented._

_Suddenly the Colossal Titan vanished in thin air and Annie and Reiner were engulfed by a cloud of smoke._

"_What?!" Bertolt! Annie!" Reiner shouted._

_Annie coughed and looked for Reiner and Bertolt above her, they were all falling. As the cloud of smoke thinned out, she saw an unconscious Bertolt falling in mid-air and a confused Reiner panicking. _

_Annie shouted an order, "REINER! GRAB BERTOLT NOW!"_

_Reiner heard Annie and wasted no time to search for his friend. He saw Bertolt several meters away from him. _

_(This is going to hurt a little, sorry Bertolt.)_

_Reiner released his Omni-directional gear into Bertolt's legs, and pulled him closer. Once Annie saw Reiner successfully secure Bertolt. She bit her thumb and transformed into the Female titan again. She lightly reached out with the palm of her hand to secure Reiner and Bertolt._

_And then, The Female Titan landed on the ground with her 2 feet. Reiner and Bertolt were unharmed. The Female Titan placed both of her comrades on the ground and it appears she was smiling, probably because she had just saved their lives._

"_Ugh, Reiner, my legs…" A pained Bertolt said._

"_Yeah sorry Bertolt, I had to do it. You can't be unconscious when exiting your titan form! Luckily Annie was here to break our fall." Reiner stated._

_Bertolt looked at the Female Titan and smiled, "Thank you...Annie..."_

_Reiner also looked at the Female Titan and chuckled, "Did I mention the Female Titan has an extremely sexy body?" _

_Due to Reiner's absurd comment. Bertolt's face became extremely red and the Female Titan's smile instantly vanished and was replaced by an annoyed face._

_At that moment, Annie had really wanted to smash Reiner with her feet._

_-End Flashback-_

She remembered those days, not only had they been training their titan forms, they also had experience with Omni-directional gear as children. They had an advantage over all the other cadets. Annie spoke.

"I'm joining the military police. I can find more information inside the walls."

Reiner spoke, "All right, I think it's almost time for lunch…"

Bertolt looked at Annie, "Annie, want to come eat with us?"

"No thanks, I don't want to be seen with the both of you. And remember, don't visit my room in the future." she replied coldly.

Reiner and Bertolt left the room first, and then Annie left several minutes after they did.

At the dining area, Annie found an empty table to eat in silence. She looked at her food: soup, a piece of bread, and water.

_Well...the soup is new_.

As Annie ate her food, Mina Carolina approached her.

"Hi Annie!" Mina said as she she down across from Annie.

"Hi." Annie replied.

"We should eat plenty and get a lot of rest tonight for tomorrow. I heard from the other cadets that tomorrow's training requires us to practice our balance, in order to prepare us to use Omni-directional mobility gear", Mina explained.

"Okay." Annie answered. _As if I needed more training_

Mina continued to converse with Annie about all the people she met,

including the potato girl, Sasha

the buzz cut hair boy, Connie

The horse face, Jean

His pal, Marco

and the determined boy, Eren.

Honestly Annie was uninterested in building friendships, but she continued to talk with Mina out of politeness, even if it meant responding with one word replies.

-The next day-

On the training grounds, Annie had no trouble maintaining her balance with the omni-directional gear. Each cadet was lifted up into the air by practice omni-directional equipment. They didn't have to move; their goal was to maintain their balance. To her left, Mina was struggling to remain perfectly still and was panicking, afraid she might fall on her head like Eren did.

"Relax, calm yourself down." That was the best advice Annie could offer Mina.

"Annie! I'm trying! I feel like I might fall any second!" Mina said worried.

"Stop trying. And relax." Annie repeated herself.

Mina sighed and remained steady, doing her best not to move her body, _I bet Annie wants to see me fall._

To Mina's surprise, she didn't fall. And her balance was in good form.

"Woah...this is easier than I thought…"

"Yeah, you have to remain calm, no matter what the scenario." Annie said.

"Annie, I wish I had your self-control, you make everything look easy!" Mina smiled and giggled.

Right when she giggled, Mina felt her balance break and she was wobbling about in mid-air unbalanced.

"Yikes, okay! Remain calm! Remain calm!" Mina repeated to herself.

Annie sighed.

She looked straight ahead with her usual bored expression. And that's when she saw it: A group of suspicious looking men. She could tell they were different since they were not in the Trainee uniform, they appeared to be merchants. _Could this be the Wall Cult Reiner and Bertolt were talking about when they were referring to Krista?_

Annie looked for the Trainee instructor, Keith, and spotted him shouting at Eren due to Eren's inability to balance himself probably on the omni-directional gear.

Annie yelled, "Excuse me Sir!"

Keith turned around and approached Annie, he wore his usual furious expression. "What! Cadet!"

Annie spoke, "I have mastered using omni-directional gear. May I be excused from training Sir?"

"What! You dare abandon your training as a cadet!" Keith was outraged by this cadet.

"Look at me. Now look at Mina, I think Mina could use more help." Annie pointed towards her roommate.

Mina looked at both Annie and Keith, and smiled, dangling on the omni-gear, "Um...hi?"

Keith took note of the inexperienced cadet and looked back at Annie.

"Don't get cocky!...Just because you can outperform your peers does not mean you're a master!"

Annie replied, "Yes sir!"

Keith, "Hmph! you may be excused cadet! don't expect this to happen in the future!"

With that said, Annie was lowered on the ground, and she made a dash for her cabin. In reality, she was going to sneak out through the back of the cabin and stalk the suspicious group of men.

Annie stepped out through the back door of her cabin and observed where the men were going. The men were heading toward the forest. Annie looked for Keith, who was still yelling at Eren.

_He's distracted._

Annie sprinted along the training grounds and followed the men.

"Huh, isn't that Annie?" Bertolt said as he was balancing himself on the omni-directional equipment.

Reiner replied, "Yeah it is, I wonder what she's up to? Better question, why did she get excused from training before us?" Bertolt and Reiner frowned.

Annie trekked along the forest path, and it eventually led to a cabin, not too far from the training grounds. She made sure to keep her distance from the men, so they wouldn't know she was following them. The men entered the cabin from the front door, so Annie figured it was best to sneak around to the back of the cabin, and eavesdrop on them.

Annie took a roundabout way to the back of the cabin through the forest. It was hard to see due to the thick bushes and many trees...so as she was running, she ran into someone hard. Annie fell backwards and a potato fell onto her stomach.

_What…a potato?_

* * *

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - 104th Trainee Squad, part 2

* * *

Annie stared at the potato that had fallen on her stomach, then she looked at the person who had ran into her.

"Ow! My head…" said the girl who had bumped into Annie. The girl had brown eyes and brown hair, and her hair was tied up into a small ponytail. She had bangs partially covering her forehead, and she was several inches taller than Annie. She didn't look too bright.

Annie picked the potato off her stomach and stood up, then she gave it to the girl.

"What are you here?"

The girl snatched the potato, "Um, well, uh I-I got lost!"

"Hey Sasha!", a mysterious voice called.

Another girl approached Sasha and Annie. She was taller than the girl named Sasha, probably the tallest girl Annie has met within the squad. She also wore her hair in a ponytail, but her hair was less extensive than Sasha. She had a fierce look on her face and several freckles beneath her eyes.

Sasha cried, "Ymir!"

"Who's this girl?" Ymir glanced at Annie.

Annie noticed Ymir was holding about a half-dozen loaves of bread in her arms. Annie also looked at Sasha who had awkward-looking giant balls sticking out in her pockets of her cadet uniform. Annie assumed they were potatoes.

"Stealing?" Annie asked the both of them.

Sasha gasped.

Ymir challenged Annie, "Why does it matter? Are you going to snitch on us?"

"Do you want me to?" Annie bluntly replied.

"Really? I can get you in trouble too for sneaking around here. We're not supposed to be in this area, right Sasha?" Ymir glanced at Sasha.

Sasha agreed, "Y-Yes! If you would please excuse us, we wish to avoid conflict…"

"You don't have to be so formal Sasha, she's only a cadet like us." Ymir shot Annie a look.

"I tell you what girl, we won't tell anyone what you're doing, if you don't snitch on us."

"Fine by me." Annie replied coldly.

"Great, we'll leave you alone then. Have fun sneaking around!" Ymir laughed.

"Come on Sasha! Let's get back to the training grounds before anyone notices we're missing. We have to get this bread to Krista while it's fresh! Remember she saved your ass yesterday when she offered you water and bread after your run."

"O-Of course!" Sasha exclaimed.

The two girls left Annie and trekked away from the forest path.

Annie continued her roundabout path to the back of the cabin. She peaked out from behind a tree and saw the men sitting at a table inside the cabin. Annie sprinted toward the building, and crouched beneath a window. She closed her eyes and listened to the men:

"_...There doesn't seem to a be a problem. She's using the name the lord gave her: Krista Lenz."_

"_I see, Who does she interact with?"_

"_She's usually around a tall girl with freckles most of the time."_

"_We should investigate anyone who befriends her. We can't let the secret slip through. It would be disastrous for the King."_

"_Why didn't they kill her when she was still a child?"_

"_I assume the lord felt sympathy for her as a child."_

"_Hmph, whatever. Our job is to watch over her, As long as she never uses her real name: Historia Reiss, then our job should be simple."_

"_Yeah, this is easy money….Hey, what happened to all the potatoes? I swear we had more than this?"_

"_It's because your fatass ate them all!"_

"_Fuck you!"_

"_You want a piece of me?! Bring it!"_

Annie decided she had heard enough. "Historia...Reiss…" _(Reiss?)_

Annie made a mental note on the name. She snuck away from the cabin and left the forest. As Annie was walking back to the training grounds, she was interrupted.

"Yo! Hey girl!", a familiar voice called.

Annie looked toward her right, and saw the same tall girl with freckles. Ymir wore a serious face and approached Annie, with a question in mind.

"What's your name?"

"Annie."

"Annie, what were doing by that cabin?" Ymir continued to interrogate Annie.

"None of your business." Annie began walking away from Ymir.

"Wow. You have no manners. You obviously weren't stealing food. So I'll ask again, what were you doing?!" Ymir walked in front of Annie, blocking her way.

Annie was irritated. _What's her problem?_

"Listen, I don't have to say anything to you. Leave, before you get hurt."

"Hahahaha! A small girl like you against me? I'd like to see you try and take me down!" Ymir mocked Annie and threw a right punch at her face. Annie quickly sidestepped out of the way and grabbed Ymir's right arm; She then pulled Ymir towards her, and pushed Ymir into the ground behind her. Ymir's face smashed the ground, she could taste the dirt in her mouth.

"What the hell...?" Ymir looked back at Annie, who was walking away from her.

"Wait! Annie, don't you dare ignore me!" Ymir shouted.

Ymir got back up and ran toward Annie, attempting to grab her shoulder, but Annie caught Ymir's hand, used her other hand to twist Ymir's jaw, and then she kicked her in the shin. The force of the kick caused Ymir to fall on the ground again.

Annie sighed and continued walking away.

Ymir recovered from her fall and sat up facing Annie.

"Okay, you win! I don't want to fight you Annie! But listen to what I have to say!"

Annie stopped, and glanced at the girl behind her.

Ymir spoke, "Whatever those men said, whatever they said about Krista...Please don't tell anyone about it!"

Annie saw that Ymir was dead serious. Her eyes showed determination.

"Why?" Annie asked.

Ymir shouted at Annie, "Because!...Krista will die! She'll die because people will use her as a tool! People see her as a puppet to use and manipulate! Krista...Krista has ties to a royal family! But she's not a puppet! She's an angel compared to the rest of the world! She's better than all of us! And I won't let anyone hurt her!"

Annie stared at Ymir. Ymir held her gaze steady with Annie, waiting for a response.

Annie spoke, "Okay. I won't tell anyone."

"I don't believe you! Say it like you mean it!" Ymir demanded.

Annie walked toward Ymir, who was still sitting on the ground, and crouched down to her level. She gazed into Ymir's eyes.

"I won't tell anyone. I don't want to be responsible for your friend's death." Annie said with the utmost sincerity.

"You better remember those words, because if anything happens to Krista. I will never forgive you!" Ymir said in a harsh manner.

Ymir stood up and began walking away from Annie, but paused for a second.

"My name is Ymir, remember it." She continued to walk away from Annie.

When Ymir was out of earshot, Annie sighed.

"I suppose I can't tell Reiner or Bertolt…...yet."

After that drama with Ymir, Annie called it a day and went to the dining area. She had dinner alone, until Mina Carolina joined her and began conversing about her day and hardships with Omni-directional gear training. After dinner, they both went back toward their cabin and slept to refresh themselves for tomorrow's training.

The next couple of months consisted of brutal training for the 104th Trainee squad.

Running several miles through the forest rain or shine? No problem to Annie.

Using omni-directional mobility gear to move around through the forest and cut the necks of dummy titans? easy enough for Annie.

Hand-to-Hand combat? Annie completely ditched this training after constantly beating her partner, Mina. Annie suggested Mina to practice with Armin. He looked like he would be equivalent to Mina's level. Since hand-to-hand combat wasn't being graded, Annie used this time to eavesdrop on the strange group of men in the cabin in the forest. Whatever information she could find, might make her mission easier.

She also avoided Bertolt and Reiner since there was nothing to discuss with them, aside from Krista's true identity, but Annie gave Ymir her word she wouldn't tell anyone, just for now.

That was her daily routine: Wake up, eat, train, train some more, ditch hand-to-hand combat to eavesdrop, eat, sleep. This routine continued for 2 years.

Annie was now 15 years old and stronger than when she first enlisted. It was on that day she first interacted with Eren during hand-to-hand combat.

Annie was just about to sneak away from the training grounds to eavesdrop on the men in the cabin, until that blockhead Reiner got in her way. Eren was also with Reiner at the side.

Annie looked up at Reiner, "...huh?"

"You looking for a headbutt from the instructor? If you don't wanna get any shorter, I suggest you recall your first day here and get serious." Reiner suggested to her.

Annie glared at Reiner. _Reiner...Get out of my face...I have things to do. _

Eren spoke, "Hey, what are you talking about?" Eren then looked at Annie's face and gulped. _Woah, She's pissed…_

Reiner snuck up behind Eren and pushed him toward Annie.

"Let's get moving, Eren."

"Me?" Eren said confused.

And then, Annie and Eren were several meters away from each other. Eren held the wooden dagger. Annie stared at her opponent and readied her combat stance, both her fist in front of her.

_All I have to do is knock him down, and I can leave._

Eren shouted, "Annie, you know what to do, right? Here I come!"

Eren charged straight at Annie with the wooden dagger extended in front of him.

_Too predictable._

Annie kicked Eren's right leg, right in the shins,*SMACK*, and he tripped onto the ground.

"Ugh! ….What, she kicked me in the leg?" Eren spoke. He tried to stand up, but pain shot through his right leg as he did and he was forced to crouch down.

Annie glanced at Reiner. "Can I go now?"

Reiner objected, "No. It's not over until he lets go of the dagger."

_Fuck you Reiner. You're next._

Annie was annoyed and walked back toward Eren.

Eren cried, "Wait Annie! We're supposed to do it the way-"

Annie didn't let him finish. She grabbed Eren's right arm from behind, smashed her left hand on his mouth, twisting his jaw in the process, then she slammed a kick right behind his legs,*SMACK*, causing him to lose his balance and land on the ground on his back, with his ass sticking out in the air. She took the wooden dagger from Eren and threw it at Reiner.

"Here, now it's your turn to attack me."

Reiner was dumbstruck, "I don't…"

Eren glared at Reiner, "Do it Reiner, You're gonna teach her the responsibility of being a soldier, right?"

Reiner looked at Annie. _Well fuck me, I haven't won against Annie once, even in the past. But maybe today I might…!_

Reiner spoke, "Yeah. Sometimes a soldier can't back down...Like right now!"

*SMACK* And Reiner was also on the ground in the same position as Eren, with his ass sticking out in the air.

_Serves you right._ Annie thought to herself as she walked away, brushing her bangs.

"Your technique is incredible…" Eren complimented. "Who taught you how to fight?"

"My dad." Annie replied, remembering her brutal training.

Eren continued, "Your father could-"

Annie interrupted, "Who cares? Doing this is pointless."

"You mean this training?" Eren replied.

Annie looked away, "Anti-personnel techniques don't factor into our scores. So people just take it easy until it's over. The right to join the Military Police and live in the secure Inner District is only granted to the top scoring 10 graduates. The people who bother participating in this are either stupidly serious like you, or seriously stupid."

Annie looked at Sasha and Connie in the distance when she said that last bit.

The training instructor approached Sasha and Connie.

"Crap it's the instructor!" Eren spoke.

Annie didn't want to get in trouble so she attacked Eren. She attempted to thrust the wooden dagger into Eren's neck, but of course she knew he would guard it with his hands. She spoke.

"Why in this world are the people most capable of opposing the titans the only ones given the privilege of avoiding them entirely? How do you think it got to be such a farce?"

_Someone is pulling the strings from the inner wall, and they need reliable, strong personal to defend them and do their dirty work, but only I know that._

Eren growled, "Who knows…!" Eren attempted to drag Annie to the ground by pulling her hands, but she reacted by doing a low-kick to the back of his shins *SMACK*, and Eren fell with his back hitting the ground with a thud.

Annie sat on Eren's stomach and held the wooden dagger to his throat, Eren attempted to pull it away, but it was useless. Annie continued to speak.

"Maybe it's just human nature? Eren loss his strength trying to resist Annie. Annie pulled the dagger away from him and stood up.

"The point is, I can't even pretend to be stupid enough to play soldier in this insane world." Annie began to walk away from Eren.

Reiner shouted at Annie, "Then you're not fit to be a soldi-Wha?!"

A girl with short flowing black hair and a red scarf picked Reiner up, and tossed him at Annie.

Annie turned around, with her eyes wide when she saw Reiner flying toward her. She performed a high-kick to knock Reiner away from her. Reiner was knocked away and his face smashed on the ground. _Fuck my life_, he thought to himself.

Annie glanced at the culprit: Mikasa Ackerman, THE strongest cadet of the 104th training squad.

Mikasa approached Annie with a dark-intense look on her face. Mikasa looked at Eren, who was crouching on the ground and bruised up and beaten. Mikasa then glanced at Annie and spoke emotionless.

"Hey Annie, why don't you teach…me a lesson too?"

Based on what Annie observed, Mikasa must have been close to Eren.

_And she want's to beat me since I beat Eren up._

"You know, I don't think a strong person like yourself needs a lesson from me...but...I'm curious to see if you can handle it."

Annie prepared herself to take on the beast. She went into her usual combat stance.

"Mikasa?! Annie?!" Eren was confused.

Reiner somehow miraculously recovered from his recent beating and appeared by Eren. "Who do you think will win Eren?" Reiner asked.

"Huh? Well I...don't know?" Eren watched the scene unfold in front of him.

Mikasa made the first move and ran toward Annie and threw a lightning-fast punch at her. Annie dodged backwards to avoid the punch, only for Mikasa to jump up forward in mid-air and throw a kick at Annie's face *SMACK*. Annie guarded the kick with her arms and felt the impact of the Mikasa's kick move her entire body across the ground.

_Such strength...if she has the manpower to lift Reiner, and throw him at me with ease, then all she has to do is hit me once. But..I won't let you!_

Right when Mikasa landed back on the ground, Annie tackled her down *SMACK*, not giving Mikasa enough time to react. Mikasa grabbed both of Annie's hands as she landed on the ground. Annie attempted to free herself, but it was hopeless.

_Shit! I can't escape!_

With Annie on her body, Mikasa kicked Annie in the stomach and sent her flying several meters away. Annie landed on her butt and coughed, she felt as if her lungs were kicked out from her body for a second. She quickly stood up and saw Mikasa running toward her. Mikasa jumped up and performed a dropkick.

_Too predictable._

Annie dodged to the side with ease and was about to counter, until she met Mikasa's dark, intense eyes face-to-face as she was in the momentum of her dropkick. Annie was caught off guard as Mikasa grabbed her face, covering Annie's eyes, and dragged her face-down on the floor along with her at the end of her dropkick *SKID*. Annie felt her face dragging along the dirt.

"Holy crap…." Eren and Reiner said at the same time.

Bertolt looked at the fight from the distance. "...Annie?!"

Mina Carolina also saw the fight, "I wish I was as strong as them…"

Mikasa was on ground. Annie wasted no time to get back up and kicked Mikasa in the stomach, Mikasa couldn't dodge the kick and felt the impact in her stomach. She rolled away quickly from Annie and stood up, disgusted that the blonde-haired woman managed to land a hit on her.

Mikasa sprinted toward Annie and literally soared into the sky above her.

Annie's eyes went wide. _How in the world am I supposed to attack her when she can jump that far up?! _At this point, Annie felt that she should just give up and let Mikasa have her way. But then she remembered, she was a warrior, just like Bertolt and Reiner.

_I'll use her own strength against her._

Annie closed her eyes. Mikasa descended upon Annie like a meteor, both her feet extended outwards to strike down her target. Right before Mikasa's feet connected with Annie's face, Annie opened her eyes and grabbed on to Mikasa's shoes, then Annie swung Mikasa on the ground, in the same direction she was landing.

Mikasa felt her back skid across the floor, but showed no discomfort or pain. She quickly recovered and charged at Annie. Mikasa threw a couple of rapid punches at Annie, Which Annie dodged but didn't have enough time to counter Mikasa. Annie saw one of Mikasa's punches was about to connect with her face and knew she wouldn't be able to dodge it in time, so Annie guarded the punch with her arms. The force of the punch pushed Annie's entire body slightly backwards, but she still stood her ground with her arms covering her face. Mikasa saw this as an opportunity to land the finishing blow, She used her right arm to throw a powerful downwards punch on Annie's head. Annie ducked forward and charged, throwing an uppercut at Mikasa's neck, but it didn't connect. Mikasa had used her left hand to stop the uppercut, and she firmed gripped Annie's hand. Annie performed her spinning low-kick to strike the back of Mikasa's legs, but Mikasa hopped and did a somersault in mid-air, letting go of Annie's hand and putting distance between them.

Annie quickly backed away from Mikasa and caught her breath. She saw that Mikasa was back in her fighting stance again and was preparing to charge at her.

Annie sighed.

"Okay Mikasa, I suppose I can't teach you a lesson. Congratulations. You win."

Mikasa stopped her combat stance and returned to her neutral stance. She spoke with no emotion, "I'm glad I don't need a lesson from you. Eren, let's go."

Mikasa grabbed Eren and dragged him away from the training grounds. "Hey Mikasa! Let go of me! I know how to walk!" Eren complained.

Bertolt, Reiner, and Mina Carolina quickly rushed toward Annie.

"Annie! Are you hurt!" Bertolt spoke, worried about his comrade.

"Wow Annie! I can't believe you took on Mikasa! You're amazing!" Mina exclaimed.

"Not bad Annie, Why didn't you continue the fight?" Reiner questioned Annie.

Annie glared at Reiner. _This is all your fault._

"...Reiner….Drop dead." *SMACK*

Later that night during dinner, Reiner was sitting with Bertolt at a table eating, with a very noticeable giant bump on his head. Mina couldn't help but stare and giggle. She sat across from Annie who was eating her soup in silence. Mina spoke.

"I didn't know you were friends with Reiner and Bertolt."

"I wouldn't say we're friends...but we do go back some ways.' Annie replied.

"Is that so? Well, I think Bertolt likes you! He was always asking you if you were hurt or injured when we were walking back here. He even wanted to bring you to the nurse's office." Mina smiled.

Annie kind of responded, "Sure...what?"

"You didn't notice on the way back? Bertolt getting all worked up over you, due to your injuries from fighting Mikasa." Mina made eye contact with Annie.

Annie objected, "Mina, I think you have it wrong. Bertolt likes Reiner, they're always together. It's possible they shower together as well."

"Oh, that's possible too…That actually sounds...kind of hot?" Mina said thoughtfully as her face slowly turned red.

Suddenly, Eren and Jean were arguing with each other. Mina and Annie looked at the scene. Annie's eyes became wide when she saw Eren use her signature attack against Jean. Jean was instantly on the floor. They both continued to argue until the training instructor popped in ask what the loud ruckus was. Mikasa raised her hand and said that Sasha had whipped out a huge fart. The training instructor was disgusted and told Sasha to behave herself and have manners. Everyone did their best to hold in their laughter. Even Mina was at the verge of laughing her ass off. Annie gazed at Mina.

_When was the last time I laughed…?_

Dinner was over. Everyone went to their cabins and slept.

The 104th trainee squad graduation was approaching. Time flew by fast as the cadets completed their training, and it was the night before the graduation.

Annie was laying on her bed, about to drift off to sleep, but she felt a presence climbing the ladder to her bunk. She quickly sat up and prepared herself for combat.

"Annie, are you awake?" A girl's voice spoke.

"Mina? Yes, what is it?" Annie replied.

"Oh good! I wanted to give you something!" Mina said as she climbed onto Annie's bunk.

"Huh…" Annie said.

"Here! It's not much, but I worked hard on it! We're going to graduate tomorrow, And I wanted to give you a parting gift as your roommate!" Mina smiled.

Annie was given a piece of paper from Mina. It was a well-drawn art of her, Bertolt, Reiner, and Mina. Bertolt was in the back smiling, and he had one hand on Reiner's shoulder, and the other hand on Annie's shoulder. Annie was on the left side of Bertolt, in her usual bored expression not smiling. Reiner was on the right side of Bertolt, giving a thumbs up and also smiling. And Mina was in the center giving off a giant smile. She was in front of Bertolt, with Annie and Reiner by her side. Mina stood straight in the picture with her arms folded. They were all in their cadet uniform.

Annie was shocked, "Mina...I had no idea you working on this. I don't know how to repay you..."

"It's fine Annie! You've helped me plenty during training. But if you reeeeaaaaaallly want to thank me. Smile more often." Mina giggled.

"Huh...smile?" Annie replied.

"Yes, I have never seen you smile while I was your roommate! That's why I didn't draw you smiling!" Mina stated.

"Hmm okay." And Annie finally smiled.

Mina gave her a thumbs up. "Well, mission accomplished! I got you to smile hahaha! You should smile more often Annie! You'll look cuter without that mean and serious look on your face."

And then Annie stopped smiling, "...I have a mean look?"

Mina facepalmed herself and smiled at Annie. "No Annie. You just look bored and tense. But you did smile! I'm glad...really...Well, goodnight Annie. Don't forget I worked hard on that art!" Mina climbed down the ladder and jumped on her bunk, quickly falling asleep within seconds.

Annie placed the piece of art in her bag and smiled. She spoke in a low voice to herself.

"Thank you Mina." _I'll never forgetmy days in this Trainee Squad thanks to you._

The next day, The 104th Trainee squad officially graduated. The top 10 graduates were:

1. Mikasa Ackerman

2. Reiner Braun

3. Bertolt Hoover

4. Annie Leonhart

5. Eren Jaeger

6. Jean Kirstein

7. Marco Bott

8. Connie Springer

9. Sasha Blouse

10. Krista Lenz

_Annie wasn't sure how Reiner had ranked higher than her. Maybe because she failed to display teamwork. Oh well, She was still guaranteed a way to get inside the inner wall._

There was a grand dinner celebration for the graduates. Annie was sitting at a corner of a table alone, but thanks to her dumb luck, Marco and Jean sat next to her. Jean was boasting about how he would finally be able live in the inner walls and escape the shitty hell hole he was put in.

Marco stated it would be an honor to serve the King by his side.

Annie had to speak up, "I'll be joining the military police as well…"

Jean and Marco stopped chatting, and looked at the girl who rarely talked.

Annie glanced at both of them and continued, "However, don't you imagine you and I are anything alike…"

Jean was dumbstruck, "hahaha…?"

Bertolt entered the dining area, and saw Annie. He began to approach her.

Annie noticed him, and left her seat to go meet up with him halfway.

"Reiner is not with you?", Annie questioned Bertolt.

"No, he's outside. Annie, we need to talk with him...alone." Bertolt looked at the ground.

Annie sighed, "...Okay."

They two cadets left the dining area, and walked away from the building.

They did not converse with each other as they knew what their original objective was.

They silently entered a dark alleyway, where Reiner was leaning against a wall.

Reiner stared at both Annie and Bertolt. He spoke to Bertolt.

"Bertolt...You'll do it early in the afternoon. You probably won't need our help this time, but if worse comes to worse. I'll back you up in my form."

Bertolt frowned, "...Yeah. I know."

Annie spoke, "There's no backing out...It's foolish to believe we can live as honorary soldiers and die in glory for mankind. I know they taught us this in the Trainee squad...but…that's impossible for us."

Reiner commented, "We're enemies of mankind Bertolt. We can't let our objective change. The Coordinate is somewhere within these walls. Once we have that power, we can direct the titans away, and...finally go home."

Annie spoke in a low voice, "...You guys can go home, I can't...not until I find out who the culprit is...I will never forgive them for what they did to mother…"

Bertolt glanced at Annie. "I won't fail...We should rest up and prepare for tomorrow."

Reiner and Annie nodded. The three warriors walked down the dark alley and disappeared from sight.

* * *

End chapter 4.

I'm considering going a different route from the anime. In which certain characters have more relevance to the plot, such as Mina.

Maybe, maybe not.


End file.
